On February 12, we will be holding the second session of the Curiously Stronger Performing series at the Roland Park Community Center. The topic is Singing Expressively in Foreign Languages. The class goes from 7-9pm, and I’ll be working with 6 singers for 15 minutes each. The inspiration of this workshop was going to recitalsContinue reading “Curiously Stronger Performing, Session #2: Singing Expressively in a Foreign Language”
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Making Your Case in Auditions
Seth Godin wrote a blog a few weeks ago about the conventional wisdom of making your case vs. how it actually works. This was from a business/marketing perspective, but when I read this, I thought, “Wow, this could apply to auditioning!” My notes are in brackets. Conventional wisdom: Find a large group of people [audition forContinue reading “Making Your Case in Auditions”
2020 – A new vision
Today is the first day of a new decade. The last decade began with me recovering from laser eye surgery – not LASIK, but something much more traumatic. My vision, pre-surgery, had been quite horrible – approximately 20/800. Meaning I couldn’t see my hand clearly if it was in front of my face. It tookContinue reading “2020 – A new vision”
2020 Word: Recreate
It’s become very trendy to announce that one word is going to set the intention for the year. My word last year was “Release,” and I did release a few things – my job at HCC, my fear of changing up the way I ran my private studio, and relationships that didn’t suit me. IContinue reading “2020 Word: Recreate”
Happy Thanksgiving!
To all my students, all my colleagues, all my friends – past, present, and future:
What are you singing? Do you know?
One thing that annoys me is mandated recitals where people are assigned music to which they have no affinity. And, consequently, they sing it with no connection to the text, to the music, to the history of the song or the poet, or to the style of the period. They’re singing the right words, andContinue reading “What are you singing? Do you know?”
What’s Your Intention?
As I recently wrote in an earlier blogpost, I’ve set up a fall practice challenge. Beginning this Sunday through December 15, my students (hopefully) will submit an online practice record regarding their practice habits for the week. (Please note that I’ve amended the form to correspond to the practice challenge.) The person who submits the most amountContinue reading “What’s Your Intention?”
Leo Cornelius Nestor, 1948-2019
Leo Nestor was my choral director in Washington DC at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for one year a long time ago. He was brilliant. I made my national cable TV debut (EWTN, but hey, it’s still national) singing Barber’s “Crucifixion” from the Hermit Songs on Good Friday. The onlyContinue reading “Leo Cornelius Nestor, 1948-2019”
Practice Challenge – October 1-December 14, 2018
I have decided to pose a practice challenge to my students. And to myself, as well. A year ago, I made a recording of some songs I had commissioned by local composer Garth Baxter on poetry in both English and Irish Gaelic. The date of the recording was August 10. So, beginning about 2 monthsContinue reading “Practice Challenge – October 1-December 14, 2018”
New Practice Checklist
This week, I put out a practice checklist, which was distributed to all my students as part of a welcome/welcome back packet. I had had a new student’s mom ask me about a structure of practicing, and I went back to a previous blogpost about practicing I’d written for some guidance. And I decided that,Continue reading “New Practice Checklist”